Hike - Catherine Creek, Columbia River Gorge, Washington

Looking south towards Columbia River Gorge and Mt Hood

It’s springtime and Carol and I decided we needed to find someplace where we could see wildflowers. So, after a little searching, we discovered the Catherine Creek Arch loop trail in the Columbia River Gorge. According to sources, Catherine Creek Recreation Area is one of the best places to see spring wildflowers in the Columbia River Gorge. On top of wildflowers, Catherine Creek is also known for its spectacular views of the Columbia River Gorge. The trailhead is about 90 minutes east of Vancouver, WA between Bingen and Lyle on old Highway 8. According to our guidebook, there is a paved trail below the road that is accessible to wheelchairs. There’s also a longer unpaved trail above the road. 

Abandoned cattle corrals 

We opted for the unpaved trail which paralleled Catherine Creek and passed the Catherine Creek Arch and some abandoned cattle corrals. The trail continued north and crossed Catherine Creek on a makeshift wooden plank. It then looped towards the east and up onto a lava plateau.

Columbia River Gorge & Mt Hood

The view of the gorge from the plateau was spectacular with Mt. Hood in the distance. The wildflowers were also spectacular and included bitterroot, balsamroot, large flowered triteleia, Nuttall’s larkspur, lupine, lomatium, chocolate lily and others. 

Catherine Creek Arch

On the negative side, there were a few ticks and poison oak but all-in-all, Catherine Creek is likely destined to be one of my favorite springtime wildflower hikes.

Chocolate lily (Fritillaria affinis)

Delphinium (Delphinium nuttallii)

Lomatium (Lomatium sp)

Large flowered triteleia (Triteleia grandiflora)